


Peyton's Rubicon

by Keenir



Category: iZombie (TV)
Genre: Coda, Gen, OC, Season 1 Finale, Spoilers, Zombies, Zombies have nightmares - things bigger and scarier than them, dead rat live rat brown rat white rat, is it tapeworms or something else that those science projects dealt with?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-09
Updated: 2015-10-31
Packaged: 2018-04-19 21:13:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,110
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4761206
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Keenir/pseuds/Keenir
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Chapter One:  My theory as to why Peyton reacted that way.<br/><strike>(<span class="small">undoubtedly jossed by now, as i'm only catching the ep in syndication</span>)</strike></p><p>Chapter Two:  Peace in our time, and job opportunities.  And trouble coming over the horizon.</p><p>Chapter Three:  Meet the family.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Peyton vividly recalled the depth of relief at seeing Liv was ~~alive and~~ well and safe, after fighting that home invader, that attempted murderer, that horrible person. 

She knew the shock had ruled her facial expressions as Liv had explained, trusting fully in her friend's judgement - _trust in me_.

_**Trust.** _

"And now Liv no doubt thinks I'm on the run, trying to get as far away from her as possible," Peyton said to herself here on the library steps.  "Not the reason I slid out of our apartment, but an understandable inference to draw."

And she used her college and legal training to handle this... _how_ she would handle this:

_Sort out what you're going to say._

_Present your findings.  Speak clearly._

_Answer questions when complete._

Resolved, Peyton set pen to paper to write down what she had to say to Liv.  She fully intended to say it in person, but it was always good to have a fallback position from which to say,

I'm not scared and I'm not worried.  What makes me mad, Liv, is that you didn't tell me sooner.

 


	2. Peace talks

**DAY 2:**

Peyton tapped once on her apartment door, then chided herself mutely for doing that.  _We had an agreement for how to signal each other if we needed the apartment to ourselves (and any guests).  Granted i'm not sure said agreements would hold water now, but old habits, right?  Right,_ and opened the door.  At first, just a crack.  "Liv?" she asked, calling into the apartment.  "Liv?" Peyton said as she opened the door some more.

Taking a step inside, "Liv?" Peyton asked.  "Ravi?" just on the off chance that he was there.  _Pretty good odds he'd be here: he's Liv's boss and her friend.  He's my friend and, yes.  They work together.  At the morgue.  Oh my god I was playing tonsil hockey with - and he's better than most guys at it._   "Liv?"

Liv stepped out of the hallway, having just gotten off the phone with Clive.  _That's one problem dealt with - I'd say 'its good to have friends' except friendship doesn't entirely enter into it.  Eh, its good enough._   And she saw Peyton slinking into the apartment.

And, seeing Liv, Peyton rushed to where Liv was standing, grabbing her in a big hug.

Liv held perfectly still.  The redeyed part of her didn't always like things moving towards her at any speed. 

Then Peyton leaned back enough to place her palms on Liv's ears, and stare into Liv's eyes.

"Peyton?" Liv asked.

"Just checking," Peyton said, letting go of her ears and returning to the hug.  "Sorry."

"No problem.  Its just...you're kinda scaring me here."  _What happened to you running away like any sane person does, when they come face to face with a monster?_

"Oh, right," Peyton said, ending the hug and taking a step back.  Fished something out of her pocket, and handed it to Liv: a folded sheet of paper.

There was exactly one line on it, written in Peyton's careful hand.

Liv read it carefully, then re-read it, just to be sure.  Afraid to smile, cautious that the littlest thing might get it all revoked and set Peyton to running back out that door - _Aaand on the list of people afraid of their own shadow, this morning's murder victim wins the prize.  Or they would if I had gone in to work this morning - after the break-in yesterday, I was told to take some me time, some time off - this is all me.  Like it or not.  And I'm not always a huge fan of me._

Liv looked back up to Peyton.  "Serious?" Liv asked.

"Third Grade," Peyton said.

Liv remembered:  "Bestest friends tell each others everythings," as they had sworn at the time.

"Yup."

"Part of me wanted to," Liv said, "and most of me was terrified."

"More than just initially, I take it," Peyton offered.

Liv nodded.

"And with all the other changes..."

Another nod, with a sad I-remember-then frown creased on her face.

 _Major, and your job at the hospital, all your other friends,_ Peyton recalled but did not say.  _If we hadn't shared an apartment, would you have cut me off too?_ and saved that one for another day.  "Is it too late?"

Liv blinked.  "Too late for me to tell you: you already saw me on a bad day."

"A bad day?  You sure?" Peyton asked.  "That guy broke into our apartment.  He knocked me out, and was about to -" and she was interrupted by her stomach rumbling.  _Office crackers are not a food group._ She looked at Liv, who looked at her.

They both had a little laugh at that.

"You saved me," Peyton said.  "That's a pretty good 'bad day' in my book."

"True," Liv granted grudgingly.  "But I scared you.  You were practically whiter than **me**."

"I meant, is it too late to sit down and listen to you explain it?" Peyton asked. 

"What, that I'm a zombie?  Kinda already told you."

"While you were pulling a knife from your hand," Peyton agreed.  "I mean everything about what that means - I mean, you're out during the day, and other than a few mood swings, I hadn't seen much change in you this past year."

Liv raised an eyebrow.

"Besides the paling."

"Besides that," Liv agreed.  "Though the mood swings weren't swings.  They were memories.  Well, they were somebody's memories."

Well remembering that admission in the kitchen, again as the knife was being withdrawn from the hand, "You said you work at the morgue for brains.  Are the memories from there?"

Liv nodded.

"So you're a tapeworm," Peyton said, just enough question in it to avoid an outright declaration.

 _From anyone else, I'd take umbrage at that.  I'm just glad she found a way to make it palatable._ "Trust you to remember that detail from high school biology," Liv quipped. _Teach a tapeworm to do something, then chop it up and feed it to a tapeworm that never learned that trick - and it'll thusly gain the ability to do exactly what its meal had learned to do_.  "Yeah, for a day or two; its mostly glimpses of their lives.  Helps me solve their murders."

"Pretty handy," Peyton said.

"If not for the fact everyone thinks I'm a psychic," Liv said.

"Yeah, that'd definitely be annoying."

"Almost as annoying as not being able to help my brother."

Peyton's eyes went wide.  "Evan?  I can't believe I'm saying this, but is he all right?  Do we need to do anything?"

"He needed a transfusion," Liv said. 

 _Oh.  Right...rare blood type.  And...shit._   "And you can't donate anymore, however much you want to," Peyton didn't realize she'd said that out loud, however hushed in tone, until Liv nodded.

"Yeah," Liv said.  "Fortunately, there are a few cops who owe me a favor.  And a few who I now owe a favor to.  It helps to work with the police."  _Evan's going to get the blood he needs.  He'll be okay._ "Evan'll be fine; a week or two of recovery, and he'll be flirting with you, right as rain."

"I can't wait," Peyton said, and they both chuckled.

As the two of them sat down, Liv starting on her tale of being a zombie - with its highs and lows and personalities - Peyton knew there was one last bit of news Liv needed to know.  _I'll tell her after this.  Right after._

* * *

* * *

 

**EARLIER IN DAY 2:**

Peyton wiped a bit of sleep from her eye, having come in godawful-early to her office and grabbed what little sleep she could get.  _It helps to have an emergency little pillow ready for late nights or little kids visiting their parents my coworkers.  It doesn't help that my dream was about opening up the fridge, and everything had brains in it._

Mandy from down the hall poked her head in Peyton's office, and said, "Your 11:15's here."

"Surprises all around, today," Peyton said. 

"I know, he finally managed to show up," _after so many last-minute cancelations._ Mandy opened Peyton's door all the way and went back to her own office.

Their secretary - _Rose, I think; any Whovian would swear she's a Rose_ \- escorted Peyton's guest to her office, said "This' Mr. Narson" to Peyton, smiled at him, and walked back to her desk...leaving him in the same room as Peyton.

"Daniel Narson," he said.

Peyton nodded.  "Of the legendary Swifts Consultation Agency.  Its an honor to meet you."

"The honor is mine, young lady," Daniel said.  "Were it not for you, we would not be considering purchasing your law firm; rest assured we were sincere in our offers, that your staffing and membership would remain unchanged."

"Then you were given the authority to speak on behalf the Swifts board?"

"I am a longstanding member of that board, and yes."

"I'm not sure why you're talking to me - I mean, we're a minor firm, and I'm not -"

"I know who you are, Miss Peyton Charles.  You are the litmus and the canary for us - without you, we at Swifts would not be interested in this firm.  And without your friends, our interest in the Pacific Northwest would be quite different."

"Policy decisions are why I wasn't able to attend my prior appointments with you," he informed Peyton, his eyes changing color to a very different shade than Liv's had been last night.  Dark veins appeared across his forehead.  "We had to be certain the region wasn't about to erupt."

 _Erupt?_ "Policy?" Peyton asked.  "You're a -"

"If you opt for a tactic of offensiveness, young lady, I will purchase your law firm, and have every one of you transferred to backwater one-horse towns a hundred miles from any of the rest of your coworkers here."

Peyton blinked. _Shit._ Schooling her features, "I'm sorry; things have been very stressful for me lately.  How can I help you today?"

"That stress is why I forgive you, and why I am here."  Smiling cheerfully, he said, "I would like to offer your friend a job.  And I would like to purchase your firm, and give you all a raise."

She opened her mouth, then thought better of what she nearly said, and said instead, "I have a lot of friends.  Could you be more specific."

"The zombie friend."

"Now who's being offensive?" Peyton asked.

"I am not a zombie.  It is a fine line distinguishing the two, but I make it."

 _Of course you do.  "_ And what sort of job would you offer her?"

"Confirmation of her authority in the Pacific Northwest," he said.  "As well as contacts elsewhere, should she have need of others."

"Others?" Peyton said, and was thankful it wasn't a squeak or a shudder or anything.  _Please don't let there be vampires or werewolves._

"Other regions, other communities," he said.

"Vampires?"

"Zombies and Revenants.  As well as lone wandering Cureds."

"Cur-  So there's a cure?" Peyton asked before she could stop herself.

"Of course.  But the Cured are more dangerous than the rest of us are."

 _Of course you would say that._ "I see," she said. 

"On that note, if there is anything of a severe nature, that you feel is too much for yourself or her, let us know. Our way of thanking her for preventing a population explosion."

 _Are you zombies or rabbits?_ which was a thought which not only did not see the light of day, but even the tiniest bit of a smile did not get up to or past her lips. Peyton said, "Well, I'll pass along the message to my friend, and see what she says.  Do you have a card or anything, so she can get in touch with you?" That night, after Liv had fallen asleep upon the completion of her story, Peyton would _consider_ calling Mr. Narson, and telling him that Major was one such danger.

...As it stood, Peyton would resolve to confront Major personally, before passing the buck to Mr. Narson.

* * *

* * *

**THAT EVENING IN DAY 2:**

Blaine looked down at his chest, at the unbleeding wound that Cambell's knife was still stabbed in.  "Well.  That's interesting," Blaine said.

For his part, Cambell was slowly backing away, eyes like saucers at what had just happened when he'd attempted to kill Blaine and eat his brains.  _The guy doesn't seem zombie...but...but what else is there?  What are you, man?_

Yanking the knife out as he rushed towards Cambell, Blaine knew exactly where to insert the blade into the ungrateful zombie.  _Its my own fault, I suppose - last time I ever let someone talk me into letting their personal trainer share 'in the joys of zombiism' and whatnot._

"Interesting indeed," Blaine said, withdrawing, then wiping the blade and tucking it away.  And he walked off, leaving Cambell's corpse to be found by cops, pissed on by vagrants, eaten by rats...he really didn't care.  Definitely not right now.

* * *

To Be Continued...in Chapter Three: _A wisdom of owls, a what of zombies?_


	3. Interlude:  during breakfast and lunch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summarizing what's happened, and Blaine has a chat with Major.

**MORNING, DAY THREE**

Liv woke up still on the sofa, half her upper body about to fall over the armrest.  _With how slow my heart beats when I'm awake, what's it like when I'm asleep?  Do I even breathe?  Not exactly something I could ask somebody - pillow talk (Lowell) or not (Peyton).  And speaking of, look who's already hard at work in the kitchen._

"Morning," Peyton called over.  "Not sure what time you're due in for work today, but I don't have much time before I have to leave."

Liv sniffed.  "The toast is burning."

"Thanks," Peyton said, turning to address that.  "One thing you didn't mention yesterday, was if there's any restrictions on what you can vs can't eat."

"I can eat anything I used to eat," Liv said.  _Not entirely sure whether or not zombies can go without eating normal food._ "I just get dangerous grumpy without brains every few days."

"That would sink a lot of romcom movies," Peyton quipped.

"Hell yeah.  Vampires' lovers can offer a vein to tide them over or to give them strength for a climactic battle.  Zombies, not an option."

"Or not a repeatable option."

Liv conceded the point.

"Anything I need to know?   Like, you can't catch kuru, can you?"

Liv gave a small confused frown.  "Is this a general purpose 'you', or is it 'you' meaning 'me'?  Because I don't have kuru."

"Good.  I tried picturing you with the shakes," Peyton said, "and all I can see is a giant Chihuahua."

"Oh please, with this hair?  I'd at least be a Shih Tzu."

Peyton shook her head.  "So...you want eggs for breakfast?"

"Please and thank you," Liv said.

"Chilis mixed in, or as a topping?"

"Actually..." Liv said, _why the hell not?  You and Lowell would've gotten on like a house on fire, and now that you know everything there is to know, why not?_   "I have just the stuff."

"Oh?" Peyton asked.

"I introduced you to Lowell, at least in passing.  I'm pretty sure I did, anyways.  Anyway, he gave me this special brand of figuratively eye-melting hot sauce.  I think you'll like it - or you'll understandably try to kill me."

"I would never," Peyton said, an assurance to Liv as much as to herself.  "I'd never kill you."

"Say that again after breakfast," Liv quipped, and went to get the gift she'd gotten.  While she was thusly engaged, Liv asked, "So, this Narson guy.  You trust him?"

"He looks like a zombie, but he says he's not one.  Not sure if he's lying right out of the gate."

"That'd be a baaad thing," Liv agreed.  "And you're the person he wanted to talk to...because of me?"

"You're my only zombie friend," Peyton said.  "Or is Ravi one?"

"You don't know if Ravi's your friend?" Liv teased.

"Okay, now you're just having fun at my expense," not really taking umbrage at it.

"Just a little.  Seriously, why're Narson and Swift looking at me?  They know I tweaked Max Rager's nose?"

"Not sure why.  I got the impression he'd like to talk to you.  I'll be there if you like," Peyton offered.

"I like.  I'd prefer a friendly lawyer," Liv said, "and that's you all over."

"Thanks, Liv, I -"

"Found it!" Liv said, holding the bottle up triumphantly.

* * *

* * *

**Lunchtime:**

"What?" Major asked when Blaine sat down across the table from him.  Granted that Burger City doesn't have much more security than its fellow fastfood places like McDonalds or Arbys, but come on, a madman like him just walks in and can seat himself?

"What's good here?" Blaine asked.  "Milkshakes?  Nuggets?  Salad?  I only found out about this place after I lost my sense of taste.  Now that its back, I'm not really sure where to start."

"Not here," Major said.

"Still a sore spot?  Yeah, understandable.  But, there's something we have to discuss."

"How did you know I'd be here?"

_I still have networks I can talk to, peeps who tell me things worth hearing._ "Let's just say you're not the hardest person to find," Blaine said.  "At least, not when I know who I'm looking for.  When you're a nameless, faceless entity stealing from me, yeah, sure, I have to cast my nets wide, and I still took a long time to catch anything.  So, you want to talk?"

"What's there to talk about?"

"That doesn't strike me as a dye job," he told Major, making a vague gesture at the other man's scalp.  "So I can guess what happened.  She cured you too."  _And without even waiting to see what the outcome would be on me - what kind of a scientist does she think she is?_  

"Still doesn't answer my question," Major said.  "What's there for me and you to talk about?"

"We're the same thing, brother.  You and me, neither of us're zombies anymore."

"We're back to normal."

Blaine shook his head.  "Then I guess you didn't get a wake-up call yet.  I did.  Got stabbed.  No pain, no blood, not even a bruise when I pulled the knife out."

"And you think that'll happen to me too?" Major asked.

"Why not?  Two ruggedly handsome zombie dudes, who get the same antidote.  Why wouldn't we turn out the same?"

Major opened his mouth -

"Nevermind," Blaine said.  "Truce?  Just the two of us, we swear not to kill each other."

"Depends," Major said.  "You up for a little zombie hunting?"  _He needs them alive.  Needed, anyway.  And would a cure really change that part of him, money-driven or biological or whatever it was?_

"I know where they live.  I know who are most likely to spread the love, as it were.  Go after them first.  Then see where we stand." 


	4. A wisdom of Owls, a murder of Crows, a what of Zombies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Confrontation & outcome.  
> (i'd forgotten i had this chapter 99% written for a month now; need to post it)

**One Week Later:**

After she and Peyton walked into the warehouse, "What did you want to show us that needs us awake at four in the morning?" Liv asked, feeling the last remnants of her most recent meal fading away, one quip-in-her-brain at a time, insipid and unworthy of repeating as she found them.  _Need to eat and crime-fight this afternoon at the latest,_ she knew.

...And then she and Peyton saw Mr. Narson standing in front of a pair of metal-barred animal cages - Blaine in one, Major in the other one.  "I have captured them for you, that you might mete out justice upon them," Mr. Narson said.

"And if we don't?" Liv asked.

"You spent the past week helping us reign in the zombie community of our city, Mr. Narson," Peyton said.  "You gave us advice and otherwise stayed out of the way, letting us call the shots."

"I did," he nodded.

"And what is this?"

Liv asked, "They're Cured, you said so yourself...that we needed to - holy crapula, really, this is what you meant by bring them in for a chat??"

"The eaters of the dead must be destroyed," Narson said.

Major watched with interest.

Liv shifted from one foot to the other.

Narson turned around, calmly ~~pacing~~ striding from one side of the room to another, back and forth as he spoke. "You will by this point have seen the news. It's everywhere, as major discoveries these days are. South Africa's caves have produced a mass grave from the dawn of mankind."

"I heard," Blaine said.  Peyton and the others nodded that they too were aware of this.

"Normally, in cave finds, there are the bones of animals - predators, prey, seashells."

"Yeahhhh," Liv said.

"There were none in the cave of this discovery," Narson said.  "As well as all of the hominid bones were located deep within the cave, after several constrictions in the passage."

_Which was part of why the internet was abuzz over the young lithe archaeologists who went into that cave and emerged with the bones._

"Is there a point to this?" Major asked.

Narson paused, _hopped_ and rotated in the air to face Major.  "You once swore to be an exterminator.  How would you remove from the world a dozen individuals?  A dozen who do not need water or other liquids, brains or other food, and do not bleed when maimed.  Tell me."

"Yeah right.  That was millions of years ago."

"Solitary incarceration," Peyton said.  "Locked away until there's nothing left of them - either from starvation or all twelve turning on each other."  She took a step back from Narson.  "There were kids in that cave."

"I was not present for the caging," Narson said.  "It _is_ , however, a part of our history."

"Not mine," Liv said.  "My zombiism's from drugs."

"Ditto," Blaine said.

"Each community thinks we were created separate from the others," Narson said, "and comes to learn that the perceived detail or not important."

"Seems like a pretty big detail."  Major nodded.

"We are alike in the ways that matter.  Our reactions are broadly similar, and thus we come to aid one another."

"But you said there were only three groups," Peyton said.  "Zombies, Revenants, and Cureds."

Blaine said, "Revenants, in the literature, anyway, tend to be single-minded.  They're the ones out for revenge, or on a quest, things like that."

Narson gave a nod.  "We are focused on our employment, and fulfilling what we are tasked with.  A Zombie has greater flexibility."

"And a Cured?"

"Is to be destroyed."

Liv drew herself up to her full height.  "And if I put them under my protection?" she asked.

"That is an option you may take," Narson said.   "But wider recognition of your protection, hinges upon another."

Peyton stood next to Liv, putting an arm around her shoulders.  "I'm backing my friend, Mr. Narson."

"Then I can tell you that Swift will be watching to see what befalls this region of the continent.  Our resources will wait for their perishment, before further resources are offered once more."

"You're not going to interfere, try to screw things up?" Liv asked.

"We at Swift take the longer view, Miss Moore," Narson said.  "Time tends to be our greatest asset."

"It heals all wounds, right?"

"It is one further thing all communities have in common."

"So, now that we've told you No, you're what - just going to leave?" Liv asked.

"Yes," Narson said.

"Then what was your grand plan?" Blaine asked.  "You waltz into town, and what, expect everyone to follow your orders?"

"No.  The expectation was for a bit of predator control, followed by this young community being welcomed into the arms of society."

"Predator?  Back to those bones?" Major asked.  "Why would we eat zombies?"

"Predators kill their prey," Narson said.  "You are worse.  Your kind haunt every community, however briefly you exist in any of them.  Society exists to stop you, and to facilitate communication between communities."

"Well, bye bye, we'll talk later.  Much much later," Liv said.

Narson stood there.

"Go," Peyton said.  _This is more than getting old, this is annoying.  There's being a psychopomp and intermediator, sure, fine, but sheesh._

He headed for the door.

"Oi, Narson!  The keys?" Peyton asked.

_Channeling Ravi, or just some great BBC movies?_

Narson looked at her.  "There were no keys used.  The metal reacted to my body's energy, in such a way, as to keep the cages locked.  When I leave here, the circuit will be open, as can the cages."

"Well, now we just deal with this next problem," Liv said. _And hope Blaine and Major aren't so peeved over being locked up, that they try killing me and everyone else with my dietary preference._

"Right behind you," Peyton said. _We put our heads together, we can solve it._

"Good.  I may not be Supergirl, but I can stop bullets better than you can."

"There won't be bullets, but thanks."


End file.
